May 16, 2016

The story of Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka getting away with murder has been one of those wrestling tall tales that has been around for ages now, moving more into the territory of fiction than fact. That all changed, though, when charges were finally filed against Snuka and proceedings began in 2015. All of a sudden this tale that highlighted the insanity and insider nature of the wrestling industry was a public spectacle and very real.

His defense has been looking for a way to present Snuka as incapable of standing trial for the murder ever since the charges were levied, finally trotting out a testimony from a psychologist on Friday who deemed Snuka mentally incompetent due to the many blows to the head that he suffered throughout his professional wrestling career. Snuka, who is perhaps best known for his finisher — the Superfly Splash — and one in particular where he dove from the top of a cage in Madison Square Garden against Don Muraco, has appeared in rough shape throughout his trial. There are questions as to if it’s all some elaborate professional wrestling show, though.

The case takes an interesting twist now considering the slew of recent lawsuits that the WWE has been facing thanks to increased awareness of the effects of concussions on their performers. Much like the NFL, the WWE has been met with increased criticism for what their performers put themselves through for the company, with the company taking serious measures to prevent future lawsuits, such as forcing Daniel Bryan to retire due to concussion concerns.

This new path for the trial should be interesting to watch unfold. The trial has been adjourned until Wednesday when an expert will take the stand for the prosecution in hopes of explaining why Snuka is fit enough to stand trial. Their argument currently includes footage from a performance in the ring dating back to 2015 as well as a seemingly-lucid interview around the same time.